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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. season — in sport
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — a contest
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fine — all right
  15. wound — an injury
  16. season — of the year
  17. bass — low music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com